Church Assembly in the COVID Age

I have not posted to this blog in a couple years, primarily because I’ve had nothing intelligent to post, but today, I am breaking my silence. Today, with this COVID-19 pandemic sweeping the globe, Christians, who should be standing together, are fractured over the question, to have, or to not have church. They site the Bible in both cases, so who’s right, who’s wrong, and what’s the fall-out? First and foremost, whether you’ve canceled completely, whether you have drive-in or live streamed services, or whether you choose to practice social distancing and sanitization in your churches, I have no rocks to throw. None of us have ever been through this before. I will continue to sound the alarm, however, that we need to be vigilant, especially as we see some of the more socialist-leaning states ease uncomfortably close to martial law. As Americans and Christians, that should very much concern us, but that’s a soapbox for another day. Let’s look at Romans 13 first, as many are using this passage to prove why we should listen to our government. 1  Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. 2  Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. 3  For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: 4  For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. 5  Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake. 6  For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God's ministers, attending continually upon this very thing. 7  Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour. This passage implies that our government is an extension of God’s ordinances, and should be obeyed. Truly, this is worthy of consideration, as when Paul wrote this, he was under Roman imperial rule, a rule which hated Christians. Paul clearly says here that we shouldn’t try to resist, because the ones who di resist to damnation, according to verse 2. Taken alone, this passage would prove that we should happily comply with our good government, because they know what’s best, and we don’t. Easy, right? Not so fast! Acts chapter 5 discusses a case where civil disobedience was practiced, and blessed by God! Let’s pick up the narrative in verse 17. 17  Then the high priest rose up, and all they that were with him, (which is the sect of the Sadducees,) and were filled with indignation, 18  And laid their hands on the apostles, and put them in the common prison. 19  But the angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors, and brought them forth, and said, 20  Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life. 21  And when they heard that, they entered into the temple early in the morning, and taught. But the high priest came, and they that were with him, and called the council together, and all the senate of the children of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought. 22  But when the officers came, and found them not in the prison, they returned, and told, 23  Saying, The prison truly found we shut with all safety, and the keepers standing without before the doors: but when we had opened, we found no man within. 24  Now when the high priest and the captain of the temple and the chief priests heard these things, they doubted of them whereunto this would grow. 25  Then came one and told them, saying, Behold, the men whom ye put in prison are standing in the temple, and teaching the people. 26  Then went the captain with the officers, and brought them without violence: for they feared the people, lest they should have been stoned. 27  And when they had brought them, they set them before the council: and the high priest asked them, 28  Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man's blood upon us. 29  Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men. 30  The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. 31  Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. Verse 29 is a go to verse encouraging civil disobedience. 29  Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men. Here’s the problem with this argument… The government of the day forbade Peter and the others from preaching Christ. Preaching Christ is biblical, therefore if the government has one standard, and the Boble has another, we should obey God’s law over man’s. That also sounds great, doesn’t it? We can all puff out our chests and be spiritual, because, bless God, the Bible tells us to assemble, and that’s what we’re going to do, and the government can’t tell us we can’t. They’re violating our first amendment right, and the constitution, and all that good stuff. These folks run quickly to Hebrews 10:24-25 as their biblical command to assemble. 24  And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: 25  Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. Sounds good, doesn’t it? It makes sense, so bless God, we’ll assemble because the Bible trumps the government…Or does it? This of us to rightly divide scripture are fully aware that the book of Hebrews is what’s called a general epistle. It’s not necessarily church doctrine, but we can make much application from the book. We’ve all used Hebrews 9:27 in a gospel message, and that’s fine, but the context of the book is Jewish people going through the tribulation. If you don’t believe that, then try to apply the verses after verse 25 to the church. You’ll make the grandest mess trying, and you may be able even to talk people into thinking they can lose their salvation! In the interest of full disclosure, I’ve personally used Hebrews 10:24-25 to prove that we should assemble. After all, tribulation saints are supposed to, and it truly will be illegal and dangerous for them to do so! It makes good preaching, but we need to be careful how loud, and how hard we beat that drum. Let’s consider the facts before us. A highly contagious disease came from China. It thrives, like the flu, in densely populated groups. It spreads through bodily secretions from coughing, and sneezing, and can stay on surfaces for a good while. Most state governments have mandated that large groups cannot assemble. Several of those states have said churches are exempt, as long as they practice social distancing from each other. The more liberal the governor though, typically the more governmental interference people are facing. Thus far, nobody I know of has been arrested for assembling, though that could very well change. Church, by its very definition, means a called out assembly. Modern-day Christianity believes that to be a building, but we, as individuals, are particular members of the body of Christ… The word of God doesn’t make a distinction there between a group of local believers, of the generally assembly in Heaven. I won’t argue about that here, but I do believe that any assembly of believers represents the church. It’s not a building! There are church days when a pastor has to call the services off because of snow or other bad weather. Do we protest? Not usually! We feel uncomfortable for a day, then move on with life. In this case, as in the case of the Spanish Flu of 1918, however, this will go on longer. What are we to do? As I said earlier, there are many creative ways pastors have thought up to have their services, including out-door assemblies, drive in services, (no popcorn,) and webcasts with a skeleton cure live from the church. Some churches are small enough that they still meet together, and caution immunocompromised members to stay home. Let me again say, I have no rocks to throw. Here are some dangers though. In the case of a drive in service, not all churches have FM transmitters to transmit to cars, and not all have sound systems capable of blasting the parking lot with preaching. It’s not possible for everyone to have this type of service, but it sure seems like it would be a fun adventure! If small churches still choose to meet, the danger is that church members can infect each other with the Corona Virus, and they would feel terrible if their fellow church members get it. Indeed, two preacher friends I know have caught it, both have had complications. On the other hand, everyone’s still going to Walmart to get groceries, and each time I’ve been in there over the last week I’ve felt the little Coronas trying to capture me! Personally, I feel less of a threat at church, but again, mileage varies. Another problem with meeting at church is that we live in a society that loves to shave people with differing views. Some in the community might shame your church for having meetings during this time, and it could adversely affect your church’s testimony. On the other hand, I know of people who have come into church because they were scared and looking for hope during this time. I know of churches who have seen people saved during this time. The webcast service seems like a great option! Many churches already have the infrastructure in place for it, and have been streaming their services on Youtube of Facebook for a while. They can go on doing it, but to an empty building! Members can watch in their homes, on their televisions, their computers, phones or tablets. They can lie in bed and watch, drink coffee in their recliner, or multitask! It’s such a convenient way, and the pastor doesn’t have to change much, though preaching to an empty auditorium might be a little daunting at first if one isn’t used to it. I have only one concern with this way of addressing the problem. When things open up again, and churches can meet together, as excited as folks will be the first few weeks or months of being back, they may remember what a convenient thing the stream was! It may make it easier for them to trade going to church for just watching church on their connected devices. If that happens, there could be a real struggle! If I were a pastor who live-streamed my services, I’d probably suspend the stream for about a year once my church could meet together again, just to make sure that problem didn’t happen. That seems to be a workable solution. Regardless of which way pastors choose to have church services, we need to remember that we are the hands and feet of Jesus here on earth! We need to make a conscious effort to be lights in the community! We should organize efforts to meet the needs of those who are shut in, such as the elderly and immunocompromised. They need groceries! I’m a firm believer that the doors should be unlocked while church services would normally be held, and some staff members should be there just in case somebody walks in looking for hope. Remember, there is no hope except Jesus Christ! We should always be ready to pray with, and preach the gospel to those who are searching! This can be an exciting time to minister in our communities while still being safe! If we do that, and still remain vigilant against governmental overreach, we can see this thing to by quickly, and it’ll be a glorious day when all our churches can meet together in normal ways again! Is there a right or wrong way to tackle this? I don’t think so. The only wrong way would be to just curl up into the fetal position, and let fear overtake us! Sure, there’s uncertainty! Sure, there’s fear, but we as saved people have a God who can overcome all of it!

Surrendering to Singleness

I made a new friend! The pastor’s son-in-law of the church I’m at this weekend picked me up from the airport yesterday, and as we ride to where I was staying, we began to talk about life, compare stories, all the stuff guys who are in the ministry do. We got talking about the new son he has, and the conversation eventually worked it’s way to how he met his wife. One of my friends played matchmaker, and it worked. I don’t recommend doing that. I have, it’s blown up in my face, but this time, it worked! He began to tell me about the process before he met his wife though, and he walked down the same road as I am walking right now, and doubtless many of you are walking at this point. It’s the surrender to God to serve in singleness, but really, it’s the surrender to God to serve Him even if He wants you to be single for life! That’s a hard proposition! I can’t tell you how many times as a single man in ministry, some dear sweet woman in a church has said, “You’re not married yet? I’m gonna pray for you a wife!” If they’re praying, God sure doesn’t seem to be listening, and honestly, it gets frustrating to hear those same comments all the time! Girls get it, too. If they’re 21 and not married with a baby on their hip, those same, well-meaning old women will take her aside and make disparaging comments, making her feel inferior. Sadly, our church society is programmed that if people aren’t married young, they must be out of God’s will! Far too often, this leads to young people jumping at the first chance they get to be married, to get out of mama’s house, and to live happily ever after. Many times however, God is nowhere near their decision, and those same two young people who said it was God’s will for them to marry are now divorced, sometimes with a couple kids in the mix that now get shuttled back and forth between two homes. This could’ve been prevented if the two people had practiced that four-letter word nobody likes, “Wait!” I’ve often heard it said that fools rush in, and sadly, I see it more and more, especially with Christian young people! I get it! You don’t wanna be like that weird single old man in your church who hardly showers, and doesn’t shave his beard, and always hangs around suspiciously in the corner at church dinners, or that dear old lady with all the cats and the bitter disposition! You don’t have to be, but what if the Lord’s just waiting on you to surrender to His will for your life regardless if He brings you a mate or not? Let’s see what Paul said regarding this in 1 Corinthians 7. Personally, I believe Paul was either divorced, or widowed, because he paints a very specific picture in this chapter regarding marriage. Everyone would do well to read it with a fine sense, so it’s not taken piecemeal as I am doing now. Here’s what he says. 6  But I speak this by permission, and not of commandment. 7  For I would that all men were even as I myself. But every man hath his proper gift of God, one after this manner, and another after that. 8  I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, It is good for them if they abide even as I. 9  But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn. Verse 9 is every church kid’s go to verse to justify a rushed marriage, of course. Girls, watch out for guys who use this verse on you. They’re generally perverts, and you probably should see it as a red flag, and run like you would away from a terrorist with a suicide vest on! The sad fact is though, many in our day are sexually active before marriage, and writing under the inspiration of God, Paul included this verse right after saying in verses 7 and 8 that being single is a gift, and he wishes that all men were as he. In other words, he presents the best case scenario, then makes allowance for those who have a problem. Sadly, that problem has become the rule rather than the exception. Even if young people have never been physically active with each other, the world’s movies, music, and lifestyle all promote sensual lust! It’s designed to leave the heart longing for what it doesn’t have, which is an indication that people aren’t thankful for what they do have, according to Romans 1. Going back to verses 7 and 8 though, at the end of the chapter, Paul qualifies his statements. 32  But I would have you without carefulness. He that is unmarried careth for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord: 33  But he that is married careth for the things that are of the world, how he may please his wife. If Paul had been married, could you picture what all his poor wife would’ve had to go through as Paul traversed the world preaching? He was stoned nearly to death, shipwrecked, beaten, persecuted for Christ’s sake on many occasions, and imprisoned! She’d have been with him, or at home waiting on him to come home, and while he was out on the road, his concern would be more for her than the things of God. It’s natural! It’s not wrong. If God gives you a spouse, that’s your first responsibility, even before your kids and the ministry. When Paul wrote this, also under the inspiration of God, he is taking all of it into consideration! This is why surrendering to serving the Lord single is a good idea! Your singleness may not last! God may give you the wife or husband you’ve always dreamed of, and you can serve together, but if you’re waiting for that to happen before you’re busy for God, then what you get won’t be God’s blessing, it’ll be something you manufactured yourself. As a single man in ministry, I can’t take that chance. Honestly, neither can you! The true problem with many singles is discontent! They’re not content to serve God in their single season, sometimes because culture demands that they get married, which often means they’ll settle for the first willing participant, or they think marriage will solve all kinds of problems for them including world hunger, a dirty house, and all kinds of other things. Many fill their minds with movies which are nothing but fiction designed to make the mind fantasize about what it doesn’t have, or set higher expectations from love than should be set. If the guy or girl doesn’t look like a movie star, then they’ll get passed over, regardless of how good a spouse they’d make, or how close a person walks with God. Paul said in Philippians 4:11,  Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. Most people haven’t learned that! We always want something we don’t have, but seriously, if we learn that Godliness with contentment is great gain, the fact that we’re single won’t deter us from serving the Lord. There is a verse that’s often misapplied when discussing the subject of a mate. Psalm 37:4,  Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. The biggest problem with that verse is that the desires of most single people’s hearts are to find a mate, so they claim that verse and say, “If I delight myself in the Lord, He’ll give me my Ruth, or my Boaz.” Even pastors have wrongly interpreted the verse while giving counsel to the single and desperate, giving them a verse to hold on to in their lonely state, but not so fast! People who delight themselves in the Lord have one desire in their heart, to know Him better. If we’re truly sold out to Him, then He is the center of our delight, and the desire of our hearts. My pastor always says that sometimes, God will give you the desires of your heart, even though He knows they’re bad for you. I’ve seen it happen far too many times. A guy starts living for God because there’s a really cute church girl he wants to impress. The desire of his heart is the girl, not the Lord, so when he gets what he wants, the true intent of the heart is revealed. Listen! If the Lord is the desire of your heart, and a mate is what He wants for you, then He’ll give you one who also desires the Lord with all her heart! On the other hand, if you’re called to be in the Apostle Paul club, it won’t matter because the Lord is the desire of your heart in the first place! We could go on for a long time with verses about all this. I could show you verses also to suggest that God wants most people to marry, and that’s true, but as a Christian, our responsibility first is to Him! As I talked to my friend the other day, he shared that soon after he took his hands off trying to find the right girl, God gave her to him! His love story was wonderful to listen to, because Christ was the very center of it. As a single guy, I’d love for the Lord to write my story like that. The details will be different, but the end result will be the same. I’d like to say I’m content in Him, and being single, but there’s still this part of me, the part that gets freaked out thinking of spending my last days alone in a nursing home with really mean nurses who could care less, but I haven’t crossed that bridge yet, and hopefully, I have many more years of life before I do. If He wants me to, I’ll keep running up and down the roads from church to church, preaching and singing of His goodness, and I’m willing to do it single until He chooses otherwise. Single person, your aloneness is not a curse. It’s a blessing. It’s a season in which to serve God with every fiber of your being. Stop looking for love, and start looking for Christ. Stop trying to make things work, and get to work for the things that really matter. I promise you, God’s got a plan, and He’s got your life under control. If He cares about a nasty little sparrow falling, then certainly He cares about you!

It's ok to be Single

     So, I've had another blog inspiration, and it came from watching yet another couple who married young go through a divorce. To be sure, divorce doesn't solve marrital problems, and if you have kids together, it actually makes more, but it's an epidemic around the Baptist movement these days, and I have some thoughts to its reason.
     Marriage is pushed on everyone who turns 18, whether consciously or not in the Baptist world. I've talked to 21-year-old girls who feel like they're old maids, and if a guy hits 30, and isn't married, for whatever reason, he turns into this predator, throwing himself at the mercy of every single girl in his path. It's really pathetic. and if we were going by the culture of the Old Testament, I'd say these dear people have a point. Proverbs 5:18  Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth. This was written by Solemon, who, if we were to be quite honest, had several wives in his youth! In fact, he had so many, there was probably a reservation desk so they could schedule time with him! Solemon was wise on so many levels, but I don't think he's the one to take marrital advice from, especially where culture has changed so much!
     Now, to be sure, I love to see couples who have been married for 60 years, still holding hands, and acting like young people who are still dating and crazy about each other, but times were different 60 years ago! Boys knew the value of hard work at a young age, and mothers domesticated their daughters as soon as they were old enough to stand on a chair and help cook! Can I say, nothing's wrong with that paradigm! Our world would be so much better if that was still normal, but sadly, it isn't! Hollywood has so permeated our society, and redefined what the relationship between a man and a woman should be, and girls especially, being the dreamier of the genders, get to thinking they're gonna have their Cinderella story, and meet Prince Charming, and what was shiny and glittering at first ends in divorce and custody battles. Young men don't know the value of hard work! Today, if they want to play sports, most of them just fire up their videogame console, and play the game with a controler. They live in a fantasy world of their own design, and really have no clue how to support a wife and family. Young men, if you can't support her, don't pursue her!
     So, now that I've gone off on this tangent, there sure has to be a good way to find a wife. Proverbs 18:22  ¶Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the LORD. Solemon and his marriage advice again. I'm sure he wished by that point that he'd just done it God's way. Even the whole virtuous woman thing in Proverbs 31 starts with a question! Proverbs 31:10  Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies. Virtuous women are out there, but I think even Solemon, with his 1000 wives and concubines hadn't found what he was looking for!
     God's view of marriage in Genesis was one man, one woman. Man's views have changed, but God's views never did! If He'd wanted Adam to have a few wives, I'm sure He could've taken a few more ribs and made some more, but God wasn't about polygamy! Even in 1 Timothy 3, He had that reiterated when He said a bishop was to be the husband of one wife. If you were taught that that passage meant anything else, you were taught wrong, and need to search your Bible for added words to make what you were taught make sense. Stop looking, they're not there! Also, it's not for Christians to get involved in the gay marriage debate, as we don't rely on the state or country to define what marriage is anyway! Two men can have a wedding and go through a marriage exercise, and the state can give them all the benefits they want, but in a holy God's eyes, guess what? They ain't married, but I digress!
     In Scripture, there were causes why a divorce could be granted, but so many Christians paint a picture of those reasons with such a broad brush that if we were to take the Bible literally, we'd find many of today's divorces to be without Biblical justification. If you're pursuing a mate, note that divorce is not the way out of a marriage that's just not working for you. If you have problems, you're supposed to do whatever's in you to work them out. That's just a side note, and there are plenty of great articles written about the subject of divorce. In otherwords, you need to wait on The Lord for your mate so you can get it right the first time, and you won't have to live with regrets. Trusting, and waiting on God has its benefits. As somebody who still is waiting on Him, I have far fewer regrets than some of my friends who felt they were getting old, and rushed headlong into a marriage that was destined for ruin. Have I felt lonely, and like a second class citizen at times? Of course I have, and I've jumped into dating relationships I shouldn't have because I acted on my own impulse rather than trusting God's plan. I have a few regrets, and none of them are God's fault, and it's only by His grace I didn't marry the wrong girl. Again, I'd rather be single than have a bad marriage. If you're reading this, and you have a few years on you and aren't married yet, don't sweat it! Just keep trusting God to direct your paths rather than letting some well-meaning matchmaker lead you into a ditch.
     Here's a passage not many people consider! 1 Corinthians 7:7 For I would that all men were even as I myself. But every man hath his proper gift of God, one after this manner, and another after that.
8 I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, It is good for them if they abide even as I.
9 But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn.Paul was writing this as an unmarried man. Basically, he advised people, if they could, to stay single for the glory of God! 1 Corinthians 7:32  But I would have you without carefulness. He that is unmarried careth for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord:
33  But he that is married careth for the things that are of the world, how he may please his wife.
In otherwords, people who are single should be serving The Lord, because they can devote their attention to Him. I firmly believe that if a man or woman is devoting his or her attention to the things of God, if God has a mate planned, then He will reveal it in His time. The fact is, however, too many people ignore all this, and just claim verse 9 to justify themselves getting married. Note that if you're burning in your lust that badly, you've obviously done something to really stir it up to that point, and without proper care, your relationship is doomed from the outset.
     The conclusion of the matter is this! It's high time people stopped making young people feel incomplete if they're not married by 25. We need fewer attempts at matchmaking, and instead of being busybodies, some of the older folks need to encourage the younger ones to wait on God. Along with that responsibility comes this; the older folks need to set an example of what a good marriage should be! There are people who I'm friends with whose marriage is a Godly example of what I hope to have should that time ever come. My pastor and his wife have been married for 38 years, and they're still crazy about each other. In fact, she's been known to say that they're still on their honeymoon! I think that's precious, and there's something quite sacred about it! They've raised their kids for God, and they're all in church, serving in some capacity. To the younger, single crowd that may be reading this, I say, don't date around! Be friends with everyone, and if God wants to bring you a mate, He will, but you certainly don't have to force it. Don't be ashamed to be single. Enjoy serving God with your whole heart while you can! Please note that these are purely my observations, but as somebody who is a bit older, and still single, I've had time to observe, and my observations sadden me.

Traditions and the Bible

     I realize I've neglected this blog for over a year, and I'm truly sorry. A few things have changed in my world though, and between my travel schedule, and being back home most Sundays to help with the music at our church, it's been an exhausting year, both physically, and Spiritually.
     Today, I'd like to talk a little about traditions. These are mentioned a few times during Scripture, both in a good way, and a bad way. Let's take a look at both good and bad!
     2 Thessalonians 2:15  Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.
We see here that Paul makes mention of good traditions which should be followed, both as a church, and as individuals, but these traditions are qualified by 1: word, and 2: epistle. If you are a student of the Bible, then you doubtless know that where the word of God is concerned, all that was available to the early church was the Old Testament. God was showing men like Peter, Paul, John, and the other new testament writers revelation for the church age, so as they got it from God, and wrote it down and God breathed upon it, it became God's word. Thus, there were traditions which they wrote about which should be followed.
     I'm sure as the early church took shape, there were several great traditions which were instituted, as there are even today! For instance, the tradition of an altar call, where members are invited to come and do business with God directly after the preaching is a recent tradition which can be very helpful in a church service. Other traditions, like church building design, order of service, and things such as that, however, have changed as time has gone by, and while there is nothing wrong with these traditions, a certain amount of care is necessary so churches or pastors don't get dogmatic with them.
     Let's examine the other place where tradition is mentioned in Scripture. Matthew 15
1 ¶Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying,
2 Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread.
3 But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?
4 For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death. Matthew 15:1-4.
We see here the pharisees, who were quite consumed with their traditions. It wasn't just about being keepers of the Old Testament law; they read into it, and infused their own customs and traditions with it. They lived by the letter so much that they read between the lines, and inserted letters that weren't even there, just to make themselves look holy. In this case, they were angry at Jesus because the disciples didn't wash their hands before they ate. Don't get me wrong though. I think washing your hands before you eat is a marvelous and sanitary tradition. I prefer to wash my hands before I eat, especially if I've just been interacting with a bunch of people, shaking hands, playing keyboards that 100 others have played before me, and touching surfaces that kids have probably sneezed on with their nasty colds, but there are definitely some people who don't care about that stuff, and don't wash their hands before they eat, such was the case with the disciples, obviously. The pharisees esteemed washing their hands before dinner to be just as important as "Thou shalt not kill", and trying to ensnare Jesus, they called Him out on it. Notice what He said in verses 3 and 4, clearly drawing a line between tradition and commandment. Again, there are some traditions that are good, but they're just traditions! Don't break fellowship with people who don't participate in your tradition, and don't get mad at them for holding traditions that you don't participate in.
     Look at another interesting verse. Colossians 2:8  Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
Here, Paul is dealing with a church in a place that is embracing the latest and greatest philosophies, and no doubt some had crept into the church. Paul's concern here is that the people will be spoiled by those traditions, and espouse them instead of what Christ wanted. We see much of that in today's emergent churches, where worldly traditions are being brought into the church of God. Things like leadership conferences, retreats, and the like started in the corporate world, and trickled down to the church level. Am I saying it's all wrong? Absolutely not! I do believe, however, that the church should exercise caution before embracing whatever the next big fad is.
     There's something else to be said about tradition though. Tradition can make pharisees out of people. I remember taking a young man with me to some meetings, and the first one was at a church who applauded after somebody sang or preached. This young man became so angry that he got up and walked out of the service, and refused to get a blessing because that church did something different than what our church does. Our church doesn't applaud after singing and preaching, so he figured they were wrong because they did. In fact, he thought it was so wrong that he wanted to break fellowship with me because I didn't publicly denounce the church. The lesson here is this. Clearly, the Bible is silent in its dealings with how to respond after a person sings. In fact, we never read of guest soloists or quartets being brought in to the early church, but before you go banning such things, remember the Bible never said you couldn't have them, either! In our church, we say "amen" if a song has blessed us, but in many churches, people clap. Is there a difference? Maybe there is, but I believe it's more of a perceived difference than anything else. The argument is that clapping is what you do at a concert, or a theater, so we should do something different in church. However, on the other side of the coin, both are expressions of appreciation, and there are plenty of references in Scripture to hand clapping. So, who's right, and who's wrong? Neither! It's just simple tradition, and whether a church claps, says "amen", or just sits there and looks bored, I can appreciate, well, at least the first two.
     I heard of a pastor who wrote a book about why churches shouldn't install projection screens, and I'm sure there are pastors who read his book, and immediately tore down their screens, because traditionally, the church never had screens before, and this other guy must be right! May I remind you that traditionally, the church didn't have air conditioning, sound systems, a nursery for the kids, Sunday School, or indoor plumming? These are very recent inventions, and I bless the day most of them were invented, and installed in churches! In fact, I don't know anyone who complains about any of them, except maybe a Sunday School that starts too early on a Sunday morning! Lol!
     Did you know that the piano is a recent invention? Before the piano, churches used large pipe organs, but Martin Luther was dogmatically against them, refering to them as "Satan's evil chest of pipes." Is a piano or an organ wrong to have in a church? I know some folks who say they are, and prefer to sing acapella, and that's fine for them. However, the Bible makes mention of all kinds of instruments being used to praise the Lord, even *gasp* percussion instruments! Read Exodus 15, and you will find that the first instrument used in high praise to the Lord which was mentioned in Scripture was a timbrel, which was a kind of hand drum kin to a tambourine! Now, I've been to some pretty conservative Baptist churches who wouldn't appreciate me bringing a tambourine and playing it in their midst, but fear not, I don't even own one! Many churches up north, however, don't prefer a bass guitar. I guess they can't disassociate it with rock 'n roll music, but mind you, Jerry Lee Lewis was just as obnoxious on a piano as many rock bass players are. However, if I go to a church like that, I leave my Gibson bass at home, or in the car. I can respect their preferences. To I think the preference is ridiculous and unfounded? Of course I do, but they probably think my preference of having a bass guitar is ridiculous, and too close to the line! While I politely disagree, I can respect their views on the issue, as long as they can respect mine, and won't break fellowship with me over it.
     Here's the bottom line! Traditions, by and large, since the Biblical cannon has been closed, are simply preferences which have been carried on for years. Some are good, but the danger is wen, like the pharisees, you make your traditions kin to Scripture. If you go to a church that observes traditions that you don't necessarily agree with, but aren't compromising where the Bible is concerned, the best thing to do is just to respect them, and don't start a fight about them. In otherwords, if a church claps after somebody sings, or displays their songs on a screen, don't discount the church just because your old church did things different. Likewise, if you grew up in a church that claps, and you go to another one that doesn't, don't cause a scene just because they do things differently. It is unfortunate that more of our basis of breaking fellowship as Bible believing Christians are traditions, rather than over people who bring in false doctrine.

Introduction

I am sure you're wondering why another blog has been created to discuss the Bible, as there are already many on the Internet, but it's a great big world out there, and I figure there's room for one more. I am Jesse Kragiel, an independent Baptist musician, singer, and evangelist. I grew up in the Baptist church, was saved at 15, and went to Bible school at 19. At 22, I took a position at Faith Baptist Church in Smyrna, Delaware as the choir director and pianist. I had the privilege of sitting under pastor Alan Ryman for almost 10 years before The Lord directed me into a fulltime evangelistic ministry, where I am today. I am still a member of Faith Baptist Church, and love my preacher and church.
     In evangelism, I have ministered at hundreds of churches, and seen many different ways of doing things. I have learned both what to do, and what not to do, just by observing the way people handle situations, doctrine, and other things. It's been a great ride, however, none of that experience makes me qualified to discuss the things I wish to discuss in the words of this blog.
     I heard the comment recently, "The more I read my Bible, the more I disagree with the Baptists." To be sure, I believe that initially, the Baptist movement was a remnant, a group of people who desired to keep God's word for what it said, and not what it was presumed to teach. Baptist believed in eternal security of the believer, baptism by emersion as a testimony and the first step of obedience to our Lord, the Lord's supper as a memorial and not a ritual, and most importantly, the infallibility of Scripture, and preservation of it. In the true sense of the word, I am a Baptist, however, as society has degenerated, and higher education has taken over our ranks, there are many different types of Baptists now, thus the word Baptist on a church sign means very little anymore. Even in the school of Baptists which I described earlier, there has been a breaking of ranks, as like the Jews in Galatians 2, brethren creep in and try to add works to grace.
     I have read the Bible through several times since I've been saved, but for years, was content to live under the yoke of what other people taught me I should, and shouldn't do as a Christian. That may be good when a person is very young, but as he grows up, and all he has are other people's convictions and preferences, he begins to question things. That was my case until probably about the 10th time through God's word when I discovered what the book of Galatians was really saying. Coupled with Romans, I began to discover the grace of God in a fresh and new context, and as one can imagine, I became angry with the folks who tried to add law to grace. It made me so angry, in fact, that my preferences and convictions swung dangerously liberal for a time, but as I continued to read God's word in the new context of grace and liberty, God started rebuilding my foundation as only He can. So we go back to the statement, "The more I read my Bible, the more I disagree with the Baptists." That is what future entries in this blog will be about. In these pages, I would like to discuss some of those issues that folks want to make a lot of noise about, but have no Biblical leg to stand on unless they lift verses out of the text for their own pleasure and corruption. I may not make friends with this blog, but maybe it will help a young preacher who wishes to study some of the issues for himself in light of God's word. All discussion in this Blog will utilize the King James Bible, for it is the inerrant, preserved, infallible and inspired word of God in the English language.